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daughter's hand in marriage, and the man had agreed. . . at first. Then, the wealthy railroad owner, seeking more power and prestige, had begun to demand things of his future son-in-law. Things that were not only morally wrong, but on the wrong side of the law. Things like sabotaging his competitor's lines or creating a scandal concerning his rival's family. When Samson had refused, Corrigan had revoked his permission for him to wed Melissa. Then, after having Samson thrown bodily off of his property by a number of his men, Corrigan had hastily arranged a marriage for Melissa to a man more amenable to performing the kinds of favors he needed. A man double Melissa's age who needed a wife because he'd lost his own and still had a young son to raise. Samson had never learned his name, but he was a man who wouldn't have known the meaning of the word tenderness if had reached out and touched him. Or so Mrs. Corrigan had said when Samson had asked about him. Mrs. Corrigan hadn't wanted to see her daughter married to the man but, having never stood up to her husband, she didn't know how to begin.
    Even now, six years later, the pain of what had followed had the power to bring a lump to Samson's throat. Poor sweet Melissa had not known what to do. She'd never in her life defied her father, and couldn't find the strength to do it then. Instead, terrified that her father would have the man she loved killed, she'd implored Samson to forget her and find another love. She'd made him promise not to interfere, saying it would only make matters worse. And so, he had stayed away and Melissa had done as her father demanded, marrying according to his choice. The day after her wedding, she'd tried to kill herself by jumping into the river. Only her mother's intervention had saved her.
    It was that news, and images of what must have preceded her rash act that had made Samson disregard his promise to her. He'd gone to the Corrigan property, still crowded with wedding guests, and landed a few very satisfying punches on both Pete Corrigan and the groom the man had chosen for his daughter. Samson couldn't even remember the man's face, and had never learned his name. Nevertheless, it had been satisfying to make that man feel a small measure of pain for his callous treatment of his new bride. Of course, Sam had sustained a few bruises himself when Corrigan's body guards pulled him away and threw him off the property. A day later, warned that Corrigan wanted him dead and knowing that Melissa was forever lost to him, Samson had fled the area. He'd eventually become a hired gun—on the side of right—and lived a decent life until. . . until the day he'd made the mistake of stopping in Cedar Crossing, Wyoming.
    He sometimes still wondered about Melissa, but he knew he could never again fall in love with such an innocent. Had she only had the strength to stand up to her father, or to leave behind the comforts of her affluent home and run away with him, they might have married despite Corrigan's ambition. But Melissa had done neither. Samson's young heart had eventually healed, though it still ached for what might have been and he'd long ago decided that he never wanted to suffer that kind of pain again.
    He would not, could not, love again.
    And so, he avoided innocent women. Women who could worm their way into his heart with their need for protection. Women who admired his strength and appearance. And women who, not knowing the score, might grow to depend on him. He'd grown too old and too cynical to accept their admiration, and too interested in staying alive to be dependable.
    Once more his gaze, of its own accord, sought the shapely form belonging to the young widow, Mrs. Sterne. Her pace had increased as she came toward him on the opposite side of the street.
    A safe, discreet relationship with an independent widowed lady who knew the score would suit him the best. There'd be no emotional commitment to make leaving hard when it became necessary.